Method and system for publishing an electronic file attached to an electronic mail message

ABSTRACT

Publishing content associated with an electronic file attached to an electronic mail message by executing instructions contained in the electronic mail attachment and accessing the content at a remote computer server identified by the attached file. The attached file includes computer-executable instructions, such as a computer program or script, which include an identifier for a remote server connected to a distributed computer network. This identified remote server typically hosts a web site containing content intended for viewing by the recipient of the electronic mail message. In response to launching the attached file of the electronic mail message with a viewer program, a browser program can be opened to enable the recipient to view the content of the identified remote server, typically a web site on an intranet or the global Internet. This supports the communication of electronic content by using an electronic mail message to transport an electronic file attachment having instructions that, when executed by the recipient&#39;s computer, enable the recipient to view the electronic content by accessing a server computer connected to distributed computer network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/238,445 filed Jan. 28, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,087, thecontents of which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is generally directed to viewing contentassociated with an electronic file attached to an electronic mailmessage. The invention supports publication of content associated withan electronic file attachment by launching a file attachment, therebyresulting in the execution of computer instructions that launch abrowser program which displays the content at a web site identified bythe file attachment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic mail programs are used by business and residential users tocommunicate information contained within the body of an electronic mailmessage or attached as an electronic file or document to the electronicmail message. For example, a user can save a business report as anelectronic document prepared by a word processing program and attachthis electronic document to an e-mail message for distribution todesignated recipients. Another representative example is thetransmission of an electronic mail message having an attachedmulti-media presentation file, such as a Microsoft “POWERPOINT” slideshow, to designated recipients at physically remote locations. Users ofelectronic mail programs commonly use electronic mail messages as acarrier mechanism for forwarding electronic files or documents via acomputer network to one or more designated recipients.

Although the combination of an electronic mail program and a distributedcomputer network provides an efficient communication system forcommunicating with multiple parties, the capacity of this electronicmail system to support communications can be degraded by the transfer ofmessages having large-sized attachments. Electronic mail users observethis degradation of electronic mail system performance as a delay incompleting the transmission or reception of a message having a largefile attachment. This is especially evident when accessing electronicmail remotely over low speed modem connections. Also, systemadministrators view the exchange of attached electronic files via theelectronic mail system as a storage capacity issue because communicationof these large file attachments requires electronic mail servers havingsufficient capacity to store both messages and attachments for systemusers.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for providing the recipient ofan electronic mail message with the ability to access electronic contentwithout forwarding this content as an attached file or document of anelectronic mail message. There is a further need for communicating thecontent of a large electronic file or document to a remote recipientwithout forwarding the entire content as an attachment to an electronicmail message. The present invention solves these and other needs of theprior art by publishing content at a web site viewable by an electronicmail recipient in response to accessing an attached file of anelectronic mail message transmitted to that recipient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a computer-implemented method and systemfor communicating content intended for delivery to a recipient of anelectronic mail message having an attached electronic file. The attachedelectronic file can be accessed in response to an input signal issued byan input device, such as a keyboard or pointing device, that ismanipulated by the recipient of the electronic mail message. Theidentity of a remote server computer, such as a web site on an intranetor the global Internet, can be obtained in response to accessing theattached electronic file. The remote server computer publishes thecontent intended for communication to the email message recipient. Thiscontent can be displayed to the recipient by using the identity toestablish a connection with the remote server. By providing therecipient of the electronic mail message with an automated mechanism forviewing the content at this identified remote server computer, thepresent invention eliminates the need to store this content within theattached file itself.

More particularly described, the present invention supports thecommunication of electronic content by using an electronic mail messageto transport an electronic file attachment having instructions that,when executed by the recipient's computer, enable the recipient to viewthe electronic content by accessing a server computer identified by theelectronic file attachment. In response to an input signal transmittedby a user's manipulation of an input device, the electronic fileattachment is accessed by an electronic mail program. This electronicfile attachment is typically opened for viewing within the viewingwindow of a document view program. For one aspect of the invention, theelectronic file attachment contains a limited amount of content, such asa text-based instruction message, for viewing by the recipient withinthe viewing window. For example, a representative instruction messageoffers the recipient instructions on how to access a larger set ofcontent by launching the electronic file attachment. In response to aninput signal for launching the electronic file attachment, a browserprogram is launched to access content at a remote server computeridentified by the attached file. This results in an automated transitionfrom the electronic mail program environment to the browser programenvironment to support viewing of the content hosted at the remoteserver computer.

Prior to the advent of the present invention, a user of an electronicmail program would have forwarded content of interest to the recipientof the electronic mail message within the body of an electronic mailattachment. The present invention enables the user to post content at aremote server computer and to send an electronic mail attachmentcontaining instructions (rather than lengthy content) that command therecipient's computer to identify and access this content at the remoteserver computer. By accessing the electronic mail attachment,instructions contained in this attached file are executed to support thepresentation by a browser program of content maintained at theidentified remote server computer. The attached file can include anidentifier, such as an address or link for a web site, that identifies astorage mechanism other than the electronic mail attachment for thecontent intended for delivery to the recipient of the electronic mailmessage.

Advantageously, the present invention does not suffer from theperformance problems of the prior art. Electronic content intended fordelivery to the recipient of a electronic mail message can becommunicated by a web site identified by an electronic mail attachmentrather than by storing this content within the electronic mailattachment itself. The information publication power of a distributedcomputer network, such as a corporate intranet or the global Internet,is leveraged by enabling a recipient of an electronic mail message toaccess an attached file and to “jump” from the electronic mail programto content hosted at a remote computer site and viewable by a browserprogram. In this manner, the storage resources of an electronic mailsystem are conserved because the present invention eliminates the needto send lengthy file attachments with electronic mail messages tocommunicate information to the recipients of such messages.

The various aspects of the present invention may be more clearlyunderstood and appreciated from a review of the following detaileddescription of the disclosed embodiments and by reference to theappended drawings and claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the components of a computingenvironment that supports the operation of an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a logical flowchart diagram illustrating the tasks completedby an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a logical flowchart diagram illustrating the steps of a methodfor accessing an electronic mail attachment in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a display screen illustrating a representative electronicmail message having a file attachment.

FIG. 4 is a logical flowchart diagram illustrating the steps of a methodfor publishing content associated with an electronic mail attachment ata web site in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4A is a display screen of message content of an electronic mailattachment presented by a document viewing program in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a display screen showing an initial view of message contentof an electronic mail attachment presented by a browser program.

FIG. 5 is a logical flow chart diagram illustrating the steps of amethod for opening a web site link identified by an electronic mailattachment in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5A is a display screen of representative content presented by abrowser program in response to opening a web site link associated withan electronic mail attachment in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a convenient and effective mechanism forcommunicating information with the assistance of an electronic mailsystem without sending this information as an attachment to anelectronic mail message. A user of an electronic mail program can attachan electronic file containing a set of instructions, such as a computerroutine or script, to an electronic mail message prior to transmittingthat message to designated recipients. In response to receiving thiselectronic mail message, a recipient can open and view the messagewithin his or her electronic mail program. Although this messagetypically contains a message body presenting text-based content, themessage also includes an indicator indicating the presence of anelectronic file attached to the message. In response to the recipienttaking an action to access this attached file, the set of instructionscontained in this file are executed by the recipient's computer. Theexecution of these instructions results in the launch of a browserprogram for viewing content at a web site identified by the attachedfile and connected to a distributed computer network, such as anintranet or the global Internet.

The browser program can display the content for a predetermined web siteidentified by an address provided to the browser program in response toexecution of the instruction set maintained by the electronic mailattachment. For example, this address can be a uniform resource locator(URL) or location identifier for a particular page of content at thepredetermined web site. In this manner, accessing an electronic fileattached to an electronic mail program results in the automatedpresentation of content posted at a web site identified by thatelectronic file. From the view of the electronic mail message recipient,this transition between the electronic mail program environment and thebrowser program environment is completed without manual interaction.

A user of an electronic mail program can avoid attaching a largeelectronic document for transmission via an electronic mail message byrelying upon the present invention. Rather than attach a large documentto the electronic mail message, the user can attach an electronic filecontaining an instruction set that, when executed by a computer, resultsin the presentation of content at a web site identified by thatinstruction set. The content represented by a large document, such as amulti-media presentation document, can now be communicated by a web siteidentified by an attached file of an electronic mail message rather thanas a lengthy document attached to the electronic mail message.Advantageously, the present invention supports the efficient andconvenient communication of information while avoiding the delay andstorage issues associated with the transmission of a large document asan attachment to an electronic mail message.

Turning now to the drawings, wherein like elements are represented bylike numerals throughout the several drawings, FIG. 1 and the followingdiscussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of asuitable computing environment in which the invention may beimplemented. While the invention will be described in the generalcontext of an electronic mail program and a browser program that runs ona personal computer, those skilled in the art will recognize that theinvention also may be implemented in combination with other programmodules. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that theinvention may be practiced with other computer system configurations,including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for implementing theinvention includes a conventional personal computer 20 having aprocessing unit 21, a system memory 22, and a system bus 23 that couplesthe system memory to the processing unit 21. The personal computer 20further includes a hard disk drive 27, a magnetic disk drive 28 and anoptical disk drive 30, e.g., for reading a CD-ROM disk 31 or to readfrom or write to other optical media. The hard disk drive 27, the diskdrive 28, and optical disk drive 30 are connected to the system bus 23by a hard disk drive interface 32, a magnetic disk drive interface 33,and an optical drive interface 34, respectively. The drives and theirassociated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage for thepersonal computer 20. Although the description of computer-readablemedia above refers to a hard disk, a flexible disk, and a CD-ROM disk,it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types ofmedia which are readable by a computer.

A number of program modules may be stored in the drives and the systemmemory 22, including an operating system 35, an electronic mail program36, a browser program module 37, and a document viewing program 38. Auser may enter commands and information into the personal computer 20through a keyboard 40 and pointing device, such as a mouse 42. Theseinput devices are often connected to the processing unit 21 through aserial port interface 46 that is coupled to the system bus 23, but maybe connected by other interfaces, such as a game port or a universalserial bus (USB). A monitor 47 or other type of display device is alsoconnected to the system bus 23 via an interface, such as a video adapter48. In addition to the monitor, personal computers typically includeother peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers orprinters.

The personal computer 20 may operate in a networked environment usinglogical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remotecomputer 49. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a localarea network (LAN) 51 and a wide area network (WAN) 52. Such networkingenvironments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computernetworks, intranets and the global Internet. When used in a LANnetworking environment, the personal computer 20 is connected to the LAN51 through a network interface 53. When used in a WAN networkingenvironment, the personal computer 20 typically includes a modem 54 orother means for establishing communications over the WAN 52, such as theInternet. The modem 54, which may be internal or external, is connectedto the system bus 23 via the serial port interface 46.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described inconnection with representative examples of an electronic mail program, adocument viewing program, and a representative browser program. For thisexemplary embodiment, the electronic mail program is Hewlett-Packard's“OPENMAIL” program and the associated document viewing program is InsoCorporation's “QUICK VIEW PLUS” program. The browser program is the“NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR” browser distributed by Netscape CommunicationsCorporation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that otherelectronic mail, document viewing, and/or browser programs can be usedto implement alternative embodiments of the present invention. Forexample, any browser program that can communicate with and displaycontents of a web site could be used. Consequently, the presentinvention is not limited to the components of the representativeexemplary embodiment described below in connection with FIGS. 2–5.

FIG. 2 is a logical flowchart diagram that illustrates the primary taskscompleted by an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates the tasks of a computer-implementedmethod 200 for presenting information at a predetermined web site inresponse to accessing an electronic file attached to an electronic mailmessage. Turning now to FIG. 2, the computer-implemented method 200begins at the START step 205 for a selected electronic mail messagehaving an attachment represented by an electronic file. The electronicmail message can be presented to a recipient on the display screen of acomputer in response to operation of the electronic mail program, suchas Hewlett-Packard's “OPENMAIL” program. The user is typically alertedto the existence of an electronic file attached to the electronic mailmessage by an indicator, such as an icon or text-based alert, in thetool bar or body of the electronic mail message. The attached electronicfile contains a set of instructions, such as a computer program orscript, rather than a lengthy document readable by a word processing ormulti-media presentation program. This attached file contains theidentity of a web site that maintains content intended for viewing bythe recipient of this electronic mail message. The attached file ispreferably smaller in size than the typical large document of a wordprocessor program or a multi-media presentation program.

In decision block 210, an inquiry is conducted to determine whether aninput signal has been received to view the file attached to theelectronic mail message. If the response to this inquiry is negative,the “NO” branch is followed to step 205 and the process begins anew.Otherwise, the “YES” branch is followed from step 210 to step 215.

In step 215, the script associated with the attached file is executed bycompleting the instructions of the script. This execution of aninstruction set, which is typically completed by the user's computer,results' in the launch of a browser, such as the “NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR”browser program, and the identification of a predetermined web site forviewing with the browser program. In addition, the script can includelimited content, such as a message containing instructions to aid auser's viewing of the content associated with the attached file. For theexemplary embodiment, the script is implemented by a combination ofJavaScript instructions and HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code.

In step 220, the content of a web site identified by the attached fileis displayed to the user within the environment of the browser program.The web site can be hosted by a server connected to a distributedcomputer network, such as an intranet or the global Internet. The method200 terminates at the END step 225.

In this manner, the exemplary embodiment enables a recipient of anelectronic mail message having an attached file to access contentpublished at a web site that is identified by the file rather thanloading and opening an electronic mail attachment containing thatcontent. The user experiences a transition from the operatingenvironment of the electronic mail program to the browser program inresponse to accessing the attached file.

Turning now to FIG. 3, which illustrates the tasks completed at thedecision block 210, an inquiry is conducted at step 305 to determinewhether an input signal has been received by the electronic mail programto access a file attached to an electronic mail message. As shown inFIG. 3A, a display screen 320 presents a representative electronic mailmessage containing a header 325, a distribution list 330 identifyingintended recipients, a text-based message body 335, and an electronicfile 340 attached to the electronic mail message. The header 325identifies the subject “Network Operations Solutions Group” of theelectronic mail message and the creator or sender of the message, “GaryJ. Dennis.” The distribution list 330, identified as item 1 of theelectronic mail message, is a list of intended recipients for theelectronic mail message. The message body 335, identified as item 2,contains a message for viewing by the intended recipients upon receiptof the electronic mail message. The electronic file 340 is attached tothe electronic mail message and is identified as item 3. For therepresentative example, the electronic file 340 is a binary fileidentified by the file name “NOSGJU˜1.HTM.” To access the attached file340 in step 305, a user can position a position indicator, such as acursor, proximate to the file. 340 and transmit an input signal via aninput device, typically by double-clicking a button on a pointingdevice, such as a mouse.

If the response to the inquiry in step 305 is negative, the “NO” branchis followed to step 205 (FIG. 2), which is the entry point to thedecision block 305. In response to receiving an input signal at theelectronic mail program to access the attached file in step 305, the“YES” branch is followed to step 310. In step 310, a document viewingprogram, such as Inso Corporation's “QUICK VIEW PLUS” program, islaunched to display content, if any, contained within the attached file,such as the electronic file 340. The attached file typically contains alimited amount of data for presentation to the user via the documentviewing program. For example, the attached file can contain a text-basedmessage, such as an instruction message defining user instructions forviewing the remaining content associated with that file. For theexemplary embodiment, the content available for viewing by the documentviewing program is HTML-coded content maintained in the attached file340. Consequently, the attached file 340 includes an “.htm” extension toenable the preferred “QUICK VIEW PLUS” program to recognize and operateon the HTML-coded content of that file.

Turning now to FIG. 4, which illustrates the tasks associated withexecution of the script for the attached file during step 215 (FIG. 2),the content, if any, of the attached file is displayed to the user bythe document viewing program in step 405. The “viewable” contentcontained in the attached file is presented on the display screen of thecomputer to the user in response to receiving an input signal to viewthe attached file in step 210 (FIG. 2). The electronic mail programresponds to this input signal by launching a document viewing program,which can read the content contained in the attached file and displaythat content in a viewing format recognizable by the user. For theexemplary embodiment, the content of the attached file is alimited-size, text-based message containing instructions for viewing amuch larger data set associated with the attached file. A representativeexample of limited “viewable” content contained in the attached file isshown in FIG. 4A as a user instruction message within the environment ofa document viewing program.

Turning briefly to FIG. 4A, a display screen 450 presents a view ofcontent contained in the file attached to the electronic mail messageand displayed in the environment of a document view program, such as the“QUICK VIEW PLUS” program. The message content of this attached file ispresented as a user instruction message 455 within the body of thedisplay screen 450. For the representative example of an instructionmessage, the text-based content advises that selection of the launchcontrol of the document view program will result in the automaticloading of the “NOSG Newsletter”. The “NOSG Newsletter” is maintained ata web site, rather than stored within the file attached to theelectronic mail message. Consequently, the instruction message furtheradvises the user that this loading operation will not work if his or hercomputer is not configured for operation with both a document viewingprogram and a browser program, such as the “QUICK VIEW PLUS” and“NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR” programs. The computer user must also have accessto web sites via the browser program and a connection to the computernetwork. The instruction message further advises that the file managerof the operating system for the computer can be used to locate the fileattached to the electronic mail message and to launch that file in theevent that the computer is not configured to use the specified documentviewing and browser programs.

Although the exemplary embodiment relies upon the storage of limitedmessage content and a script within the file attached to the electronicmessage to assist a user's transition from the electronic mail programenvironment to a browser program environment, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that other types of content can be placed in theattached file. For example, the viewable content described above as aninstruction message merely instructs the electronic mail recipient tolaunch the file for viewing at a web site. However, any contentmaintained within the file attached to the electronic mail messagepreferably should have a limited storage size to obtain the advantagesoffered by the present invention over the prior communication of largedocuments or files via electronic mail systems. Indeed, there is norequirement to place viewable content within the attached file for theelectronic mail message. The absence of any viewable content for theattached file, however, may result in user confusion because launchingthe document viewing program in response to accessing an attached filehaving no viewable content would not satisfy the user's expectation ofcontent within the viewing area of the document view program.

The user interface of the document viewing program shown in the displayscreen 450 of FIG. 4A includes a launch control 460 available in thetoolbar of this program. In response to the user selecting the launchcontrol 460, an input signal is transmitted to launch the attached fileof the electronic mail message. For the representative example, theattached file named “NOSGJU˜1.HTM” is “launched” in response to a user'sselection of the launch control 460 of the document viewing program.

Returning to FIG. 4, in decision block 410, an inquiry is conducted todetermine whether the document view program has received an input signalto launch the attached file of the electronic mail message. If the userhas not selected the launch control 460, as shown in the display screen450 of FIG. 4A, the “NO” branch is followed to step 405 and the processbegins anew. Otherwise, the “YES” branch is followed from step 410 tostep 415 and the execution of instructions of the script contained inthe attached file continues in step 415. A browser program is launchedin step 415 in response to execution of the script instructions.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the launching of the browser program in step 415results in an echoing of the message content contained in the attachedfile within an initial viewing window of the browser program. An initialwindow 470 is opened by the browser program in response to theinstructions of the script for the attached file of the electronic mailmessage. The initial window 470 is quickly opened and closed by thebrowser program, however, before the user has an opportunity to actuallyview any content associated with this window. Although the file canaccess and manipulate the web site content in a manner consistent withthe operation of a conventional browser program.

FIG. 5A illustrates a display screen for a browser program having a viewwindow presenting content associated with the attached file of anelectronic mail message. Turning now to FIG. 5A, a display screen. 515includes an identifier 520 and a view window 525. The identifier 520,shown as the location“://nosg.bst.bls.com/newsletter/nosg/December/index.html,” defines theaddress for a particular page of a web site that is available forviewing by the browser program. The view window 525 presents the contentassociated with the particular page of the web site identified by theidentifier 520. For the representative example, an electronicnewsletter, entitled “NOSG News,” is shown within the view window 525 ofthe browser program. The presentation of the newsletter via a web site,rather than as an electronic document directly launched by an electronicmail program or a document viewing program, is advantageous because theelectronic mail attachment containing the web site identifier can bequickly loaded by a recipient while conserving the storage capacity ofan electronic mail system. A newsletter such as the representativeexample would likely have been a file of a megabyte or more of data thatwould have traversed an electronic mail network. With the presentinvention, a smaller file, typically less than 1–2 kilobytes, can beused to route a mail user to a web site.

Upon viewing the content available at the web site via the browserwindow, the user can exit the view of this content by closing thebrowser window. For the exemplary embodiment, closing this browserwindow can result in the display of the underlying view window of thedocument viewing program. The user can close this view window to returnto the electronic mail program.

Table I provides a listing of a representative script for an electronicfile that can be attached to an electronic mail message to support theoperation of an embodiment of the present invention. initial window 470contains a file identifier 475 and a message 480, the user preferablydoes not have an opportunity to view this information prior to a closingof the initial window. Another window is quickly opened by the browserprogram, however, to present the lengthy content associated with theattached file, namely the content hosted at the web site.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that an embodiment of thepresent invention can be implemented without opening an initial windowthat echoes the HTML-coded content of the electronic file attached tothe electronic mail message. By this alternative embodiment, the initialwindow of the browser program could instead present content maintainedat a web site hosted by a remote server on a distributed computernetwork.

Turning again to the logical flowchart diagram of FIG. 4, in step 420,the execution of instructions in the attached file results in providingthe browser program with an identifier, such as a hyperlink or address,for a web site hosted by a remote server connected to an intranet or theglobal Internet. In response to the identifier for this web site, thebrowser program can open a window presenting content maintained by thatidentified web site, as described in more detail below with respect toFIG. 5. For example, if the identifier provided by the attached file isa URL or locator identifier, the browser program will establish aconnection to the remote server that hosts the identified web site basedon the address provided by that identifier. In this manner, therecipient of the electronic mail message can view the content of a website by accessing an electronic file attached to an electronic mailmessage.

FIG. 5 is a logical flowchart diagram illustrating an exemplary methodfor displaying content associated with an attached file for anelectronic mail message. Turning now to FIG. 5, which illustrates thetasks completed in step 220 (FIG. 2), a link to an identified web siteis opened in step 505 by the browser program. The address or identifierfor this link is provided to the browser program in response to openingthe electronic file attached to the electronic mail message. This linktypically identifies a particular page of a selected web site forviewing by a recipient of the electronic mail message. In step 510, thecontent of the identified web site is displayed within a view window ofthe browser program. A recipient of the electronic mail message havingthe attached

TABLE I <head><script LANGUAGE=“JavaScript” FOR=“window” EVENT=“onload()”> <!-- window.open(‘http://nosg.bst.bls.com/newlett/K2/index.html’)window.close( ) //--> </script> <title>This page will AutoLoad NetworkOperations Solutions Group Newsletter</title> <meta name=“GENERATOR”content=“Microsoft FrontPage 3.0”> </head> <body> <div align=“left”><table border=“0”> <tr> <td bgcolor=“#C0C0C0”><palign=“center”><strong><big><big>When launched from Quick View Plus thispage will automatically load the latest </big></big></strong></p> <palign=“center”><strong><big><big><fontface=“Copperplate Gothic Bold”color=“#FF0080”><big>NOSGNewsletter</big></font></big></big></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <tdbgcolor=“#808080”><big><font color=“#004080”><strong>If your PC is notconfigured to use Quick View Plus and Netscape, then this will not work!&nbsp; You must save this page to your hard drive and then use filemanager to locate this file and launchit.&nbsp;.</strong><font></big></td> </tr> </table> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p></body> </html>

The representative script shown in Table I contains two instruction setsa script containing JavaScript language instructions (highlighted inbold print) and an HTML-coded instruction section defining the text ofan instruction message. The script instructions executed by thecomputer, support the opening of a view window of the browser program topresent the content of an identified web site. This operation isdistinguishable from the opening of a hyperlink within the body of anelectronic mail message. The HTML-coded content can support thepresentation of the instruction message by the document view program,prior to launching the browser program to access content at theidentified web site, and the brief display of this message within theinitial view window of the browser program.

Referring to Table I, the header portion of the content of theelectronic mail attachment is positioned between a pair of <head> HTMLtags. The header contains the JavaScript language commands, highlightedin bold print, and positioned between a pair of <script> HTML tags. Inresponse to executing the JavaScript commands, the browser program opensan additional view window to display the content published at the website identified by “http://nosg.bst.bls.com/newlett/K2/indexed.html”.The next JavaScript command closes the browser window containing theinitial instruction message from the viewer program associated with theelectronic mail system. This leaves the browser with one open windowcontaining the selected web site page. For this representative example,this address provides a link to the “Network Operations SolutionsGroup's NOSG News.”

The remaining portion of the attached file is represented by anHTML-coded instruction section placed between the <body> HTML tags. Thissection represents the user instruction message presented to the user inresponse to accessing the attached file and launching the document viewprogram. This instruction message is also briefly echoed within aninitial window of the browser program in response to the transitionbetween the document view program and the browser program, as notedabove. The HTML codes provide format instructions for displaying theinstruction message within a view window. The representative instructionmessage, as shown in FIG. 4A, is

-   -    When launched from Quick View Plus this page will automatically        load the latest NOSG newsletter. If your PC is not configured to        use Quick View Plus and Netscape, then this will not work! You        must save this page to your hard drive and then use File Manager        to locate this file and launch it.

It will be appreciated that the variety of instructions and/or messagescan be included within an electronic file that is attached to anelectronic mail message. The present invention is not limited to therepresentative example shown in Table I. Nevertheless, Table Iillustrates that the storage size for the preferred electronic fileattachment is small when compared a conventional word processing ormulti-media document that might otherwise be attached as a file to anelectronic mail message. Consequently, the transition from an electronicmail program environment to a browser program environment in response toaccessing an electronic mail attachment provides an efficient andeffective mechanism for accessing content associated with the attachedelectronic file.

Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the artto which the present invention pertains without departing from itsspirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention isdefined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description anddrawings.

1. A computer-implemented method for communicating content intended fordelivery to a recipient of an electronic mail message having an attachedelectronic file, containing an identity of a remote server computer,comprising: responsive to an input signal, accessing the attachedelectronic file; obtaining the identity of a remote server computerhosting the content in response to accessing the attached electronicfile; executing a script included in the attached electronic file toexecute a document view program displaying an instruction message foraccessing content and displaying a launch control icon; and responsiveto a selection of the launch control, displaying the content intendedfor delivery to the recipient of the electronic mail message by usingthe identity to establish a connection with the remote server computer.2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying thecontent intended for delivery to the recipient of the electronic mailmessage comprises: launching a browser program; providing the browserprogram with the identity of the remote server computer hosting thecontent; establishing a connection by the browser program with theremote server computer; displaying the content within a viewing windowof the browser program.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the remote server hosts a web site containing the contentintended for delivery to the recipient of the electronic mail messageand the attached electronic file only contains instructions foraccessing the content at the web site.
 4. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1 further comprising displaying a message contained inthe attached electronic file in response to receiving to input signal.5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein displaying amessage contained in the attached electronic file comprises: launching adocument viewing program; displaying the message within a viewing windowof the document viewing program.
 6. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 5, wherein the message of the electronic file attachment comprisesa text-based instruction message comprising instructions to aid therecipient's access to the content maintained by the remote servercomputer.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, furthercomprising opening a browser program by launching the file attachmentfrom a viewer program to access the content at the remote servercomputer in response to JavaScript commands contained in the electronicfile attachment.
 8. An electronic device-implemented method forcommunicating content intended for delivery to a recipient of anelectronic message having an attached electronic file, containing anidentity of a remote server computer, comprising: responsive to an inputsignal, accessing the attached electronic file; obtaining the identityof a remote server computer hosting the content in response to accessingthe attached electronic file; executing a script included in theattached electronic file to execute a document view program display aninstruction message for accessing content and offering a launch controlicon; and responsive to a selection of the launch control, providing thecontent intended for delivery to the recipient of the electronic messageby using the identity to establish a connection with the remote servercomputer.
 9. The electronic device-implemented method of claim 8,wherein the remote server hosts a web site containing the contentintended for delivery to the recipient of the electronic message and theattached electronic file only contains instructions for accessing thecontent at the web site.
 10. The electronic device-implemented method ofclaim 8 further comprising delivering a message contained in theattached electronic file in response to receiving the input signal. 11.The electronic device-implemented method of claim 10, wherein themessage of the attached electronic file comprises a text-basedinstruction message comprising instructions to aid the recipient'saccess to the content maintained by the remote server computer.
 12. Theelectronic device-implemented method of claim 10, further comprisingopening a browser program by launching the file attachment from a viewerprogram to access the content at the remote server computer in responseto JavaScript commands contained in the electronic file attachment.